Potato-planter.



No. 836,129. PATENTBD NOV. 20, 1906. L V MUBVERS POTATO PLANTER. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 7. 1966.

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N. 836,129. V u I PATENTED Nov. zo, 1906. L. V. MOBVERS.

POTATO PLANTER.

APPLIOATION FILED AUGJ. 190e.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 24 N-ml UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE. LOUIS V. MCEVERS, OF LA SAFJLE, NEW YORK.

PoTATo-PLANTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Nov. 2o, 190e.v

i To a/ZZ whom 'it may concern.-

the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to potato feed or dropping mechanisms for poltato-planters.

, Much difiiculty has been experienced in themanufacture of lpotato-planters to projduce a dropping or feed mechanism which is absolutely reliable in operation and will always drop the potatoes singly at regular intervals and without missing or drop mg -more than one potato or seed for a '11. Many devices have been made and proposed with this result in view; but most of these are of more or less complicated construction', expensive, and troublesome, and few, if any, are perfect in action.

The object of this invention is to produce a reliablepotato feed or drop ing mechanism of simple, inexpensive, an durable con struction which will take the potatoes from the potato hopper or receptacle and drop them singly at regular intervals, and this without bruising or crushing the potatoes.

- The following may 'also be specified as objects of the invention: to provide the feed chain or carrier with cup-'like'holders for the potatoes so shaped that each will take one and only one potato or seed at a time out of the fee hopper or receptacle, to mount-the holders on the carrier so that they can yield to (properly receive and hold. potatoes or see s o 130 hol ers to dislodge or knock therefrom into the hopper all otatoes more than one car.- ried by the hol er, and to provide a device of simple construction for agitating the potatoes in the hopper to cause them to move toward the feed-carrier, so as to be taken up by the holders. p j

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure 1 is a lon tudinal sectional elevation of a potato fee or dropping mechanism embodyin the' invention, showing adjacent part's of t e planter. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation thereof in line 2 2, Fig. 1, looking toward the rear of the machine. Fig. 3 is an enlar ed elevation of one of the potato-holders anfd dislodging the superfluous potatoes. Fig. 4

somewhat larger than the usual size, rovide a device coperating with the the hopper,

the device for.

is a plan view, partly in horizontal section, of the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional elevation of the potatohopper in line 5 -5, Fig. 4, looking toward the front of the machine. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, of one of the potato cups or holders and a portion of the carrier therefor. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional elevation of the potato cup or holder and carrier in line 7 7, Fig. y6.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures. y I. A represents 'a feed hopper or receptacle in which the potatoes or seeds areplaced in bulk'and from which they are taken and dropped by the feed or droppingv mechanand side portions a?, which incline downwardly from the side walls toward the center 'of the hopper, whereby the hopper contracts downwardly and forwardly, so as 'to cause the potatoes to gravitate or move toward the front central portion of the hopper. The front wall'a, is provided with a vertical open# ended .slot or channel B, extending therethrough,l in which the potato-holders move upwardly through the hopper. The edges of the slot or channel are beveled on the 1nside of the wall, as shown at b, Fig. .4, and are preferably 'covered with metal tio make them smooth and. reduce the wear. An open'-w irlilg C is provided in the contracted portion of t e with the channel B, through which the holders of the potato-carrier enter the hopper, and a valve or ate D is provided to prevent the escape of t e potatoes through the opening. The gate may be of any suitable con'- struction. That shown is hinged at its lower end in suitable brackets d, depending below and has a curved top which closes the opening C. The gate is normally held in the incline closed position (shown'by a sprin d) and will yield rearwardly when struck y the potato-holders to permit the latter to pass through the opening Cinto the hopper. v

Eire resents an endless traveling carrier, preferabl a chain, which is arranged outside of and a jacent to the slotted front wall of the hopper and passes around upper and bottom of the hopper communicating ICO IIC)n lower chain-wheels e, journaled'in suitable bearings e on the machine-frsme, and F represents potato cups or holders, which 4are secured to and project youtwardly from said carrier or chain. The carrier-chain is so ar-4 ranged that one run thereof canmove upwardly just outside of and close to the front wall of the hopper for at least a ortion of its length, so that the potato-hol ers can pass into the hopper through the bottom opening C thereof and travel upwardly throu h the slot or channel B inthe front wall. T e otato-holders are in the nature of half-cups, (see Figs. 6 and 7,) each having a bottom f, which is preferably curved or concaved transversely and of a Width to move freel through the slot or channel B and extend omV ed e to edge thereof, and an upright substantial y semiclrcular Wall f", which extends around the outer end or portion of the bottom' from side to side thereof, decreasing in height toward its ends and terminating close to the beveled edges b of the slot or channelI of the hopfper, as shownin Fig. 4. The cups are pre erably hinged to the carrier or chamyand adapted to swing downwardly and away therefrom, for which purpose the cups shown are provided with de ending hinge-ears j?, joined by hingeins 3 to lu s f4, projecting from certain of t e -links of t e carrier-chain at suitable intervals to properly place 'the cu s on the carrier. The cups are normally he d up in the. position shown in the drawings byvsuitable springsf?, the springs shown being coiled'about the hinge-pins of the cu s with their o posite ends bearing against t e bottoms of t e cups and the supporting-lugs for the, same. These springs permit the cups to yield downwardly or awa from the carrier and slot or channel in t e front wall of the hopper, so that if the potatoes or seeds are too large to dro freely into the cups they will, by reason of t eir rolling action'on the side of the channel, spring the .cu s away from the channel far enough to fu ly enter the cups in their. passage through the hopper. The ascending run of the carrier or chain is held from flexure or kept arallel with the front wall of the ho per an prevented from being drawn into t e slot or channel when the cups are sprung away from the channel, as. just explained, by lugs or portions g, Figs. 2, 4, and 7, which project laterally from some ofthe links of the chain adjacent to the cups and bear against the outer faces of the edges l ofthe slot or channel.

-=By reason of the described shape of the 'bottom of the cup a potato resti-ng therein tends to roll toward the center of the cup and occupy a central position therein. Should av second potato rest upon this potato in the center of the cup, it will have no support at the sides of the cup, because of the reduced side portions of the semicircular ulpright wall of the cup, and When the cup, Wit the pota- -should toes, is carried above the top end of the channel or slot in the front wall of the ho er the upper or second potato will roll or fa l sidewiseofl' of the under potato and the cup. If the upright wall of the cu were circular and of the same height throug out, its upper edge would form at least a partial support for a second otato, and a small potato or seed e carried in the cup and crowded over to one side thereof this otato vand the side edge of the u right wall ofthe cup-Would form a rather stalble su port for a second or superposed potato-which the cup out of the hopper. The upright semicircular wall of the cup, shaped-as described, however, will -not form a side support for the upper or su er osed potato, and the latter will roll off of J51e ower potato back into the hopper. The hinge-lugs or,l rojections of the cu s and carrier travel in t e vertical slotorc annel B, while the outer pormight be carried by tion ofthe 'cuphaving the sem-icircular upit a potato as it passes uplwardly through the` hop er. On account', t erefore, of the descrl ed constructionand relative arrangement of the cups and channel leach cup is practically certain to carry oneotato or seed with it from the hop er; ut it is equally practically impossib e for acupto carry more than onefpota'to or seed. No clamping or impaling devices for the potatoes, with their necessary. operatin means, are required,and vthe feed deviceis, t erefore, less 'complicated and expensive fand vmore durable than mechanisms, employing such clamping or impaling holders., e

The cups are inverted as they pass over the upper chain-wheel with the carrier or chain E, and suitable guide flanges or. plates H, Figs. 1 and 2, are provided at opposite j sidesI ofthe wheel to prevent the potatoes from falling from the cups over the sides of 'the Wheel.

bottom of the next cup 'below and'willfall vfrom the chute to the roundfas the cups pass out of the lower end o the chute.

The guide-plate vH and chute I form no part of this invention, and any other suitable means can be employedto properly'direct the potatoes falling from the cups to the furrow.

The drive means for the feed-carrier are not a part of the invention, and any mechanism for this purpose can be employed-such, for instance, as the drive-chain K, Fi 2, connecting a chain-wheel 7c on the axle of the machine with a chain wheel k2 on the shaft for the upper wheel of thel feed-carrier.

As above stated, .the potato cups are shaped so as not to support more than one potato; but in case a cut seed or flat-sided potato is carried in the cup it might afford a sufficiently-stable support for a second potato, and to prevent this and make vthe feed mechanism certain in action a device is employed to dislodge the second potato if through any possibility two should be carried by one cup. This device preferably consists of a toothed wheel L, Figs. l and 3, journaled outside of the upper portion of the hopper in position for its teeth to engage in the link openings of the carrier-chain, so that the wheel will be rotated by the traveling chain and its teeth will be successively projected through the chain-links. The teeth l of the wheel which engage in the links carrying the cups and the adjacent links directly opposite the bodies of the cups are short, so as not to strike the cups and interfere with the operation of the carrier or strike and crush the potatoes properly carried in thecups. The remaining teeth of the wheel are longer, however, and will project through the carrier-links far enough to strike a second potato resting upon the potato in the cup and dislodge it or knock it off into the hopper. Such second potato, not being confined by the upright wall of the cup, will be readily rolled off of the under potato supporting it without being bruised .The means for agitating the potatoes in the hopper and causing them to work toward and into the vertical slot or channel B are preferably constructed as follows, (see Figs. 2, 4, and 5 z) M M represent two agitator-slides which are arranged vertically inside of the front wall of the hopper at opposite sides of the slot or channel B to reciprocate through openings min the sides of the hopper and are preferably guided in pockets m', formed between the inclined side portions a2 of the bottom and front wall of the hopper. The slides M are connected by a yoke n, passing horizontally in front of the hopper and having bent ends secured to the slides. The yoke is reciprocated by any suitable means, such as a bell-crank lever 0, pivoted to a suitable part of the machine, with one arm connected by a link p to a crank p on the shaft of the upper wheel for the feed-carrier and the other arm connected by a link p2 to the slide-yoke n. The reciprocating yoke moves the slides together towardthe slot or channel B first from one side and then from the other side of the hopper, and the potatoes are agitated and repeatedly moved toward the slot or channel. connection with the particular feed mechanism described; but agitating devices of other .construction could be employed.

The slot or channel B for the potato-carrier is described as being made in the front wall of the hopper; but the slot or channel could be at the rear or other side of the hopper. The term upright, as applied to the front Wall of the hopper, is not intended to mean vertical only, but to indicate, as well, any otliler suitable up and down directionof the wa I claim as my invention* l,

1. The combination of a hopper having an u right wall provided with a channel, a trave ing carrier, and holders secured to said carrier and moving through the hopper in said channel, said holders having substantially semicircular walls within the hopper terminating adjacent to the opposite edges of said slot, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a hopperI having an upright wall provided with a slot, a carrier which travels adjacent to said slot, and holders secured to said carrier and extending through said slot into said hopper, said holders having substantially semicircular walls within the hopper terminating adjacent to the opposite edges of said slot and bein of greater hei ht at their middle portions than at their en s, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a hopper having an upright Wall provided with a slot havin inwardly-facing beveled edges, a carrier W 'ch travels adjacent to said slot, and holders secured tosaid carrier and extending through said slot into said hopper, said holders having substantially semicircular walls within the hopper terminating adjacent to the beveled edges of said slot, substantially as set forth. 4

4. The combination of a hopper having an upright wall provided with a slot, a carrier which travels adjacent to said slot, and holders pivoted to said carrier and extending lthrough said slot into said hopper, said holders having substantially semicircular walls within the hopper terminating adjacent to the opposite edges of said slot, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a hopper having an upright wall provided-with a slot, a carrier which travels opposite to said slot outside of said wall, holders pivoted to said carrier and extending into said hopper, and springs which normallyretain said holders upright in the hopper and allow the same to yield away from said slotted wall, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a hopper having an upright wall provided With-a slot, a carrier which travelsopposite to said slot outside of This agitator is desirable in IOO IIO

IIS

IZO

said Wall, holderspivotedto .saidI carrier and extendingy into said hopper-and. adapted to yield away from said. slotted wall, and parts.

on said carrier for holding the same from leXure, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a-hopper,A a traveling carrier provided with holders which move in said hopper an'dhaving holes in advance-of said holders, and a device which projects through said holes to dislodge superfluous potatoes from said holders, substantially asset forth.

8. The combination of a hopper, a traveling oarrier-chainprovided Withholders which move in said hopper, and a Wheel havingteeth which project through the link-openings of said carrier-chain to dislodge superuouspotatoes'. from said holders, substantially as set forth.

9. Thecombination of a hopper, holders which travel through saidv hopper, agitatorslides arranged in said hopper at opposite sides of said holders, and means for reciprocating said slides. together toward. and from said holders, substantially asset forth.

10. The combination ofahopper-having a Wall With a slot, holders which travel through said slot and extendinto saidhopper, agitator-slidesvarranged in said hopper at opposite sides of said slot, a yoke connecting said slides, and meansfor. reoiprooating'said yoke, substantially. asset forth,

Witness mv hand this 28th day of July,

LOUIS V. MCEVERS. Witnesses:

C. W. PARKER, C. B. HoRNBEoK. 

